Meet the family: Get to know the Trump kids
Donald Jr.
Born to Trump’s first wife, Czech model Ivana Trump (née Zelníčková), Donald Trump Jr. grew up speaking Czech with his mother and grandparents (he’s fluent) while spending the better part of his earlier years trying to avoid the limelight. “Otherwise, I’m just Donald Trump’s son, some little rich kid running around,” he told the New York Times in 2006. In 2005, he married model Vanessa Haydon, with whom he now has five kids (and yes, he named his eldest son Donald Trump III).
An avid hunter, one the few occasions Don. Jr. caused a stir was during a 2012 trip to Zimbabwe, when he posed for a photo holding a knife in one hand and an elephant tail in the other.
Don Jr. is currently the executive vice president of The Trump Organization. Despite his family’s wealth, the 38-year-old maintains a hands-on approach to his work. “I’m pretty certain that I’m the only son of a billionaire who can drive a D10 Caterpillar better than I can drive a golf cart,” he told Forbes earlier this year.
Ivanka
After modelling in her younger years, Ivanka (whose mother is Trump’s first wife, Ivana) now holds the role of executive vice president of development and acquisitions at The Trump Organization. A former judge on her dad’s reality TV show The Apprentice, she converted to Judaism when she wed Jared Kushner, owner of the New York Observer newspaper, in 2009. Now 34 and a mother of three, she is sometimes referred to as Trump’s “secret weapon,” considered by some as key to wooing the female vote.
“She’s always aware of everyone around her and ensuring that everyone is enjoying the moment,” said one close friend in an interview with Vogue in February. “It’s an awareness that in some ways reminds me of my dad, and his ability to increase the joy of the room. There’s nothing skin-deep about Ivanka.”
Who’s the friend with such kind words? Hillary Clinton’s daughter, Chelsea.
Eric
Donald Trump doesn’t drink alcohol, which might cause some confusion for those visiting the Trump Winery in Virginia. But it’s his third born, Eric, who is actually president of the brand. His charitable endeavours, namely the Eric Trump Foundation to raise money for terminally ill children, landed him on the New York Observer’s list of most important young philanthropists. Granted, his brother-in-law is publisher of the paper. Not the only Trump kid married to someone in the media, in 2014 Eric wed Lara Yunaska, an associate producer at the CBS program Inside Edition.
A regular judge on his dad’s reality TV show The Apprentice, 32-year-old Eric holds the same title as his older sister in The Trump Organization: executive vice president of development and acquisitions.
Tiffany
Donald Trump’s marriage to Marla Maples was brief, but they had one daughter, Tiffany, who is said to have been named after the luxury jewellery store. As a teenager, she dreamt of becoming a pop singer, but her single “Like a Bird” didn’t take flight. She also interned at Vogue magazine in 2011, reportedly thanks to her older half-sister’s connections. A recent University of Pennsylvania grad, Tiffany also has more than 150,000 Instagram followers. Collectively, she and some of her friends are known as the “Rich Kids of Instagram.”
At 22, she hasn’t been as present on the campaign trail as Trump’s other children. Trump even forgot her as he thanked all his children during his win in Florida. But that’s not to say he wants her on the sidelines. As he wrote on Twitter immediately afterwards:
I only wish my wonderful daughter Tiffany could have been with us at
Mar-a-Lago for our great election victory. She is a winner!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 16, 2016
Barron
The youngest of the Trump children, Barron is the only child from Trump’s current marriage with Slovenian model Melania Trump (née Knauss). Sometimes referred to as “Mini-Donald” by his mom, the 10-year-old is very independent and opinionated, according an interview his mom gave to Parenting magazine. And like his dad, Barron doesn’t mind wearing a suit and putting on a tie. As his mom told ABC years ago, “he’s not a sweatpants child.”
And if the name Barron sounds oddly familiar, that’s because Trump reportedly used to use the pseudonym John Barron when he called reporters, claiming to be a Trump spokesperson.